Line-attaching device



Jan. 27, 1953 G. R. POWELL LINE-ATTACHING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2, 1949 I NV EN TOR. GEORGE RPawzu.

Arne/vs Ys Patented Jan. 27, 1953 LINE-ATTACHING DEVICE George RuiiusPowell, Beaumont, Te'x., assignor of one-half to J. L. C. McFaddin,

Tex.

Beaumont,

Application November 2, 1949, Serial No. 125,137 1 Claim. (Cl. 24*131)This invention relates to an improved form of device for attaching oneline to another.

Although my present device is capable of other uses, it is particularlyWell adapted for attaching a drop-line to a main support line ortrot-line in the art of fishing.

The object of my present invention is to devise such an attaching meansthat is comparatively simple in structure and can be attached anddetached in a simple, efficient and dependable manner and by the use ofonly one hand.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claim whenconsidered together with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my present device, illustrating the initialposition of the same with respect to the main supporting line when aboutto apply the same thereto;

Fig. 2 is another elevation of the same, taken at ninety (90) degrees toFig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively,and illustrate the manner of applying the device to the main supportingline;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively,and illustrate the device in fully applied position upon the mainsupporting line;

Figs. '7 and S are views corresponding to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively,and illustrate the reverse order of procedure in removing the devicefrom the main supporting line; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of my vice.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely forthe purpose of illustration and that there might be variousmodifications thereof without departing from the spirit of my inventionas herein set forth and claimed.

My present device is in the form of a onepiece comparatively stiffwire-like body which comprises the straight parallel portions I with theintermediate loop connection Ia at their lower ends, as viewed in thepresent drawing, and having their upper ends bent downwardly andoutwardly in S-like portions upon opposite sides thereof. That is tosay, the upper ends of the straight portions I are bent upon themselvesat the points 2 so as to extend angularly past the same and in a mannerdiverging from each other, thence angularly back to the first side ofthe straight portions I so as to provide the loops 3, and finally backpast the plane of the straight portions I at a downwardly inclinedpresent deangle thereto, as at 5, so as to provide the loops 4 and toprovide a gate for the entrance of the transverse line A into clampingengagement between the loop portions 3 and the straight portions I andits exit therefrom. The portions 5 are suitably connected at their endsso as to maintain uniform distance between the same; for instance, theseends may be welded together, thereby closing the unitary wire-like bodyand giving it a continuous form.

The connections of the S like ortions with the upper ends of thestraight parallel portions I may be of a resilient nature at the points2 so as to permit the device to accommodate larger lines A withoutbinding or kinking.

The m'ain transverse line A may have its ends suitably anchored so as topermit the same to extend across the desired expanse of water; and theremay be attached thereto as many of the present devices as desiredaccording to the number of suspended or drop lines to be placed. Theconventional form of attachment for the drop line may be connected tothe lower end Ia. if so desired, as illustrated at l.

The S-like portions, beginning at the points 2, diverge gradually moreand more from the parallel portions I to the points of the loops 3 andthence the S-like portions are spaced from the parallel portions I atapproximately a uniform distance upon the two sides thereof. The spacingbetween the lower parts of the s-lilre portions and the parallelportions I Will permit insertion of the transverse line upwardly withinthe double S-like portions and about the parallel portions I; and, byapplying the line to the left side of the parallel portions, as viewedin Fig. 4 of the present drawing, for instance, it may be moved upwardlyinto firm gripping or pinching engagement between the parallel portionsI and the loop portions 3, as seen in Fig. 6.

In actual practice, this device will be applied downwardly with respectto the trot-line, the lower transverse portions 6 engaging upon thetrot-line at the left of the parallel portions, as viewed in the presentdrawing, and the trot-line will be looped around the sides of theparallel portions I, that is towards the right as viewed in the drawing,until there will be effected pinching engagement of the trot-linebetween the loop portions 3 and the left sides of the parallel portionsI, as indicated in Fig. 6 of the present drawing. Whereas, up to thispoint in the process of attaching this device to the trot-line, thatportion of the trot-line immediately adjacent this device has beenslackened about the parallel portions I, the trot-line will be permittedto assume straight, taut condition again, as indicated in Fig. 5, assoon as it has been clamped in the manner just described. Such clampingengagement will be secure because of the pinching of the trot-linebetween the loop portions 3 and the straight portions I, such actionbeing of a double character and hence most dependable in its holdingaction. In fact, the greater the force with which this device is pulleddownwardly or in a side-wise direction upon the trot-line, the moresecurely will the trot-line be squeezed between the loop portions 3 andthe parallel portions I, as each S-like or loop portion has convergingrelation with respect to its parallel portion I, as indicated in Figs.1, 3, 5 and 7 of the present drawing. Thus, the greater the downward orside-wise pull upon the drop-line, the stronger the connection to thetrot-line becomes; and this will be true whether the trot-line be wet ordry. Also, with my present device, there will not occur any sliding orcutting of the support line A.

Or, this device may be applied to the support line A by means of onlyone hand. In this case, the device will be held by the user at the pointI a so that it will extend in a horizontal manner across and on top ofthe line A, with one loop 4 down and the other loop 4 up, and with theS-loop entirely upon the far side of the support line A. Then the deviceis so manipulated by the one hand as to pass the line A through the gateof the lower loop 4; following which, the device is rotated With portion6 describing an arc downwardly so as to place the other loop 4 down andso that a, simple pull at the point la will force the line A through theother loop 4 of the gate and thus complete the engagement. Upon releaseof the device, it will assume normal upright position upon the line A,as indicated in Fig. 6.

In order to remove this device from the trotline there will be followedthe reverse procedure from that above described, as illustrated in Figs.7 and 8 of the drawing. My present device permits a drop-line to beattached to or detached from a trot-line easily and nection aifordedthereby is most dependable.

Other practical advantages will readily suggest themselves to those whoare familiar with the art to which the present invention relates.

What I claim is:

A line-attachin device comprising a unitary endless form of wire-likebody having two substantially straight stifl parallel portions connectedat their one ends so as to provide means for connecting a line theretoand continuing at their other ends in duplicate portions loopedoutwardly and integrally back upon themselves and thence in duplicateangular portions extending resiliently therefrom slightly across theplane of said straight portions in laterally diverging spaced relationthereto, thence bent back angularly and continuing to a substantialextent across the plane of and in spaced relation to said straightportions and thence bent back and extending transversely across theplane of said straight portions at a point substantially removed fromsaid one ends of said straight portions and being connected together attheir ends, with the two aforesaid bent-back parts thereof upon oppositesides and outside of said straight portions, so as to provide asubstantially S-shape across the plane of said straight portions, thefirstnamed of said bent-back parts being adapted to receive another linetransversely thereof and to serve as a resilient clamping means withsaid straight portions for holding such other transvers line, and theother of said bent-back parts being of sufiicient extent and rigidity tomaintain said transversely extending portions in position across theplane of said straight portions at all times during normal operation ofthe same and being adapted to serve as a gate for entrance of thetransverse line into and its exit from such clamping engagement.

GEORGE RUFFUS POWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

